Cole Anthony: Prospect Scouting: 2020 NBA Draft

Cole Anthony started off his season with North Carolina very hot. But, he sustained an injury and never got his footing back. Before the injury, Anthony was a great scorer and play-maker for the Tar Heels. His draft stock has fallen as of late because of his poor performances. But, if he can bounce back, then he could be the next great NBA guard.

Strengths

Anthony is a 6-3 point guard weighing 185 pounds. Anthony is always one step ahead of everybody on the court, weather it’s creating his own shot or giving his teammates an open shot. He has all the intangibles you want to see in a guard, high basketball IQ, leadership, toughness and play-making ability.

Despite his size, Anthony has great athleticism. He has great handles and uses either hand to score at the rim. His great ball handling ability and skill to get into the lane gets his teammates open, and he has great court vision, always finding them for the open shot. His offensive skill set translates in both the half court and transition sets, using his play-making ability and quick handles to his advantage.

Anthony tries on defense. He is not the biggest guy but he works the opposing guard, hounding him. He has quick feet and quickness in general, things he will need if he wants to be a good perimeter defender in the NBA.

He’s a pretty good rebounder for his size, using his feel for the game and his hops to snatch the ball away from opposing big guys.

Anthony can shoot off the dribble or off of catch-and-shoot opportunities.

Weaknesses

His 3 point shot is still in progress. He has a slow, low release. He is not very efficient, though we have seen glimpses of what he can become.

He can sometimes over-dribble and become turnover prone.

Sometimes is in too much of a rush and forces a pass or a bad shot. Needs to slow down at times.

Comparisons
Less Explosive Derrick Rose
Austin Rivers
Dennis Smith Jr.

Where Will Anthony Go?

The highest I have seen Anthony is at pick 4, projected to go to the Hawks. The Hawks already have their PG of the future in Trae Young. They could move Anthony to SG and insert him into the starting lineup in place of Kevin Huerter. This move will not make much sense for the Hawks. Anthony would not get to grow his natural play-making ability if he were to play SG. The Hawks are in need of a true SG, not another PG.

Next, Anthony could be going at pick 5, projected to go to the Knicks. The Knicks have good big guys in Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, but they need more guards. Cole Anthony would be an immediate starter next to RJ Barrett in the back-court. Anthony would not be asked to score the ball a lot as they have both Barrett and Randle. He would be a nice floor general and would help the Knicks a lot.

The next place I have seen Anthony go is at pick 15, out of the lottery to the Magic. The Magic have a plethora of young wings and bigs like Nikola Vucevic, Mo Bamba, Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon. Evan Fournier, DJ Augustin and Markelle Fultz are their main guards. Anthony would likely start for the Magic, who have not had a solid PG since Jameer Nelson. With Anthony running PG, he would give guys like Fournier and Vucevic, who are good scorers, great looks. Aaron Gordon would also benefit from Anthony on fast breaks. Anthony would be a good fit for the Magic, but I doubt that he would fall out of the lottery.

My Prediction

Anthony has all the potential in the world to be a good guard in the NBA. He would benefit the most with a team that needs a PG, like the Knicks, Magic, Wizards, Pistons or Spurs. There are many locations in the lottery where he could go. There is a possibility that he falls out of the lottery because of his poor play as of late for the Tar Heels. But, Anthony could become the most underrated lottery pick in the draft this year.

Please leave a comment on where you think Anthony will go, and tell me an other players you want me to break down.